New inquest granted into tragic death of student 30 years ago

Martin Shipton

The brother of a Bangor University student who died in tragic circumstances 30 years ago has secured a second inquest after arguing that his death was due to gross medical negligence.

Anthony Whittle, who was 30 when he died in 1994, was a first year student in Forestry when he suffered a psychotic episode and was taken to the Hergest Psychiatric Unit at Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor, for assessment.

But despite having previously been sectioned twice as a result of mental health breakdowns, including once when he had attempted to take his own life, he was able to run out of the supposedly secure unit and fall to his death from a road bridge.

PTSD

Anthony’s brother Christopher Whittle – who himself suffers from PTSD after being in the crowd at the Hillsborough Stadium disaster when more than 90 people were trampled to death – persuaded the Attorney General that a fresh inquest should be held. It is expected to go ahead in 2025.

The Hergest Psychiatric Unit has in recent years been the subject of several critical reports. In 2013, the Holden Report – finally published eight years later – said a breakdown in staff and manager relations at the unit put patients at risk. Amid a culture of bullying and low morale, patient safety concerns were not addressed.

Christopher Whittle, who lives – as did his brother – in Burnley, Lancashire, told Nation.Cymru: “My brother’s case is yet another example of the shocking state of the so-called ‘secure’ Hergest Psychiatric Unit in Bangor that goes much further back than a few years,

“My late brother Anthony died on Friday November 25 1994 – the 30th anniversary was a couple of weeks ago. I am the only one left in our original family group. My late parents and myself were denied legal aid and justice was denied for both Anthony and us as a family.

“The original inquest was a sham. Anthony had suffered from severe mental health problems and had been sectioned twice. He seemed to have recovered well and started a three year degree course at the University of Wales in Bangor, studying Forestry. He initially settled in well but come November 1994, he felt homesick and wished to return home. My late father and myself went to pick him up at Chester railway station but he never showed. We spent the rest of the day and night searching for him all over north Wales, first of all at his student accommodation in Bangor and then back up to Rhyl.

“We found out through North Wales Police that he had been picked up in Prestatyn having suffered a severe psychotic episode at a caravan park in the seaside town and taken to Rhyl police station. When we arrived the police informed us that he had been transferred to the Hergest Psychiatric Unit in Bangor.. A supposed secure unit. We eventually saw him at the unit, ever so briefly. He looked quiet and withdrawn, very much disheveled, even melancholic.

“He said he loved us and we were informed by the duty psychiatrist that he could not be taken home as he was seriously ill. He returned to his room as he was tired. A few minutes later, we heard this terrific bang and Anthony had escaped through a window and down a sloping roof. He escaped into the cold November night. Despite searching for him by hospital staff and the police he was not found. His body was found early next morning by a passing cyclist under the North Wales Expressway after falling from a great height. The injuries were horrific.

“We did not know that he was dead until we returned home to Lancashire. Before we left the Hergest Unit, the psychiatrist actually criticised us for not joining in on the search. We were very cold, hungry and tired as well as being deeply traumatised. My father was aged in his mid seventies and I was a PTSD sufferer who witnessed much death in a major tragedy five years previously. The psychiatrist actually lied in the inquest in which he stated that Anthony ‘had signed himself out of the unit.’ An absolute lie.

“If this was now, I suggest that a verdict of gross negligence manslaughter or unlawful killing would be the correct verdict. After all, where was the duty of care? Where was the safeguarding? How could a paranoid schizophrenic escape from a secure psychiatric unit?

“I am now waiting for a court date for a fresh inquest into my brother’s death. My parents never saw justice, I am determined to achieve that.”

Escape

Mr Whittle’s solicitor Becky Randel, of RWK Goodman in Bristol, said: “We are pleased that Christopher’s fight to get a new inquest into his brother Anthony’s tragic death has been agreed by the Attorney General. The coroner at the time of the inquiry into Anthony’s death back in 1994 did not appear to carry out a full inquiry including understanding why, or if, Anthony was detained, how he was able to escape from a secure hospital and what action was done to try and find him, either by the hospital or the police.

“It is hoped that when a new inquest takes place, these questions can be properly examined, as they should have been at the time.”

Second inquests are rarely granted. In this case, the decision was made by Victoria Prentis, the last Tory Attorney General before Labour won the general election in July.

A spokesperson for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, which is responsible for the Hergest Psychiatric Unit, said: “We are aware of the legal action that is taking place and we are grateful to you for providing us with an opportunity to respond. However, we do not believe it is appropriate to comment at this time.”